VOA慢速英语:Beverly Sills, 1929-2007: A Beautiful Voice for Opera and the Arts

1. Sills is singing the role of Olympia, a female robot who keepsbreaking down while singing a series of high notes.

break down 损坏,分解
例句：This innovation would help to break down the classes. 
这种改革将有助于打破等级制度。 

2. Her family lived in the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, NewYork.

live in 居住在
例句：We used to live in Shanghai but now we live in Beijing. 
我们以前住在上海，但现在住在北京。

3. Her father, Morris, came from Romania and her mother, Shirley,was Russian. Sills said that her father believed that a personcould live the real American dream only with an educated mind.

come from 来自，来源于
例句：I come from Shanghai. 
我是在上海生长大的，我是上海人。 

4. They also found out that their son had major developmentalproblems.

find out 发现;查明
例句：The police found the murderer out.
警方搜寻到了杀人犯。

5. In nineteen sixty-one, Sills stopped singing to take care ofher children during this difficult time.

take care of 照顾
例句：Please take care of the baby for me for a while, will you?
请替我照顾一下这孩子,好吗?

6. I felt as far as my singing was concerned that the only personI really had to please was me

as far as 就……而言，至于
例句：As far as I know, he has gone to town. 
就我所知，他到镇子上去了。 

7. Beverly Sills’ big break into fame took place in nineteensixty-six when she performed Cleopatra in Handel’s “JuliusCesar.

break into 闯入;打断;突然...起来
例句：Don't break into their conversation. 
不要打断他们的谈话。 

8. In addition to singing, she often appeared on populartelevision shows.

In addition to
例句：In addition to French, he has to study Japanese.
除了法语外,他还得学日语。